Newbury festival brings classical music to babies and toddlers

Newbury Spring Festival: Sound Beginnings: The Magic Flute at Sheeprove on Sunday, May 7. Review by JULIA ROWNTREE

Sheepdrove is an organic farm of over 2000 acres and conference centre set in the idyllic Berkshire countryside near Lambourn. Stepping into the gathering area of the centre there is an immediate feeling of peace, tranquility and calm which is felt by all who enter.

Sound Beginnings is an annual event in the Newbury Spring Festival and takes a different piece of classical music each year, presenting it to an audience ranging from babies in the womb or pram, to toddlers, children of all ages, parents and grandparents. There are beanbags for the young and chairs for the young at heart but sitting still is not an obligation – wandering about is usual and even a little dance to the music occurs!

This will have been the first ‘concert’ that many of the children will have heard and who knows what will have been triggered off in many a young brain

This year’s choice of music was the Magic Flute by Mozart and the presentation was given by Mikhail Kazakevich and Elena Zozina, piano duet, and Richard Morris, narrator and singer. There is a large screen portraying static illustrations of the different characters and aspects of the action by the artist Dechteryov in the fifties. The performance never speaks down to the children, never belittles them. One member of the audience described it as ‘a quality product’. The narrator introduces the ideas of the drama and then the music begins and the story begins to unfold.

This will have been the first ‘concert’ that many of the children will have heard and who knows what will have been triggered off in many a young brain. The quality of the performance, Mozart’s ability to write such varied and memorable melodies, the classical harmonic structures, the exciting storyline of princes, love, odd birdlike characters and evil powers all add up to an experience that will stay in the mind.

Many of the children present learn the piano and it must have been a real inspiration to have heard the piano duet portray Mozart’s orchestra so dramatically.

After the performance the audience is able to wander in the gardens, visit the tractor shed, admire the many different blossoms – and even picnic.